Selected quad for the lemma: majesty_n
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A05168
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A sermon preached before his Maiestie, on Sunday the XIX. of Iune, at White-Hall Appointed to be preached at the opening of the Parliament. By the Bishop of S. Dauids.
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Laud, William, 1573-1645.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 15302; ESTC S108347
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18,305
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52
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A SERMON PREACHED before His MAIESTIE On Sunday the XIX of Iune At WHITE-HALL Appointed to be preached at the opening of the PARLIAMENT By the Bishop of S. DAVIDS LONDON Printed by BONHAM NORTON and IOHN BILL Printers to the Kings most Excellent Maiesty M. DC XXV PSALM 75. 2 3. When I shall receiue the Congregation or when I shall take a conuenient time I will iudge according vnto right The earth is dissolued or melted and all the inhabitants thereof I beare up the pillars of it THIS Psalme is accounted a kinde of Dialogue betweene God and the Prophet For David somtimes speaks in his owne person and sometimes in Gods Some thinke the time when hee sung this Psalme was when he was now ready to be crowned king ouer Israel aswell as Iuda The occasion of this his solemne deuotion was not onely the care which hee had of the world in generall the earth but much more and much neerer the care which hee tooke of the Kingdome of Israel now committed by God vnto his Gouernement That Kingdome was then filled with ciuill combustions and the Church as it vses to be in a troubled State was out of order too The Learned both the Fathers and the later Diuines differ much about my Text. For some will read it Time and some The Congregation And the best is there 's warrantable authoritie for both Againe some will haue it that this speech I will iudge acoording vnto right is Dauids promise to God of his iust administration of the Kingdome and some that it is Gods promise to Dauid of his Grace and Assistance to inable him so to gouerne If it be Gods speech they are not all agreed neither whether it be meant of his temporary execution of Iudgement in this life or of his great and finall iudgement Nor do they all agree whether by the Earth bee meant the whole world and the Church spread ouer it or the kingdome of the Iewes and the Church as then conteined in it But the matter is not great For the Scripture is not onely true but full in all these senses and all of them come in close vpon the letter of the Text. And therefore for ought I know it is the safest way which shuts out nothing that the Text includes And my Text will easily take in all if you consider the wordes as Dauids speech yet so as that one way Dauid be vnderstood to speake in his owne person and another way in Gods And this is no newes For vsually in the Psalmes one and the same speech is meant of Dauid and Christ and one and the same action applyed to God and the King And the reason of this is plaine For the King is Gods immediate Lieutenant vpon earth and therefore one and the same action is Gods by ordinance and the Kings by execution And the power which resides in the King is not any assuming to himselfe nor any gift from the people but Gods power aswellin as ouer him So God and the King stand very neere together And it is an infinite blessing both vpon the King and the people when the Kings heart keepes as neere vnto God as Gods power is to the King For then t' is but reading of my Text and you both see and enioy the blessing presently For then the Congregation that comes vp the great Congregation great in number great in place and great in power it shall not loose it's labour For I will receiue it saith God and I saith the King The Congregation whether it bee to serue God or the State or both comes vp at an appointed time and I will make a conuenient time for it saith God and I wil take a conuenient time for it saith the King When I haue receiued it and in this time I will iudge in it and by it according vnto right saith God and I saith the King If Iustice and Iudgement bee not executed the Earth will dissolue the Kingdomes will melt away all things will sinke and fall but I will beare vp the pillars of it saith God and I saith the King If the Earth dissolue the Militant Church which dwells vpon it shakes presently It must needs beare part with the State in which it is but I will beare vp the pillars of that too saith God and I saith the King So blessed a thing it is where God and the King keepe neere and worke together The Text hath Two parts The one is the state of the Earth of the Kingdomes and the Inhabitors thereof and they when the Prophet wrote this were in weake estate melted and dissolued The other is the Remedie which God and the King will take to settle it And concerning this Remedie heere are Three things expressed First the Execution of Iustice I will iudge according vnto right Secondly the Establishment or settling of the Pillars I beare top the pillars of it Thirdly the Time for both these and that is a conuenient Time euen when Hee shall receiue the Congregation I begin at the state in which Dauid when hee came to the Crowne found the Earth the world in generall the Kingdome of Iuda in particular and the Church of God And surely my Text giues mee no hope but Liquefacta est weakenesse dissolution and melting in them all For the world first that so farre as the Assyrian Monarchie preuailed in those dayes of Dauid melted betweene riot and crueltie And the rest of the world which was not vnder them was broken and dissolued into petty Dynasties and Gouernements which did nothing almost but prey one vpon another And for the Kingdome of Iuda the speciall ayme of my Text that melted first in the great disobedience of Saul and after that in ciuill dissentions betweene Dauid and Ishbosheth the sonne of Saul for diuers yeeres together And as for the Church that had no publicke roome then giuen it but in Iudea and there it could not stand fast when the Earth melted vnder it And we finde toward the end of Saul 85. Priests were put to the sword at once and vniustly all And the Church cannot choose but melt when her Priests are slaine for the speediest melting that is is to melt in blood Now this melting whether it bee in State or Church is no small thing For the Scripture when it would expresse a great Calamitie vpon men or Kingdomes vses the word melting or dissoluing And that shewes that their honour and strength drops away and decayes till they become as nothing or quite another thing In trouble the heart of Dauid melted like waxe Psal 22. When their enemies preuailed The heart of the people melted like water Ios. 7. In the time of vengeance The vngodly of the Earth shall melt and consume away like a snaile Psal. 58. And that 's melting indeed Put but a little falt vpon a snaile and he will drop out of his house presently Melting then is a great Calamity vpon a Kingdome And 't